|
Limastock posted:Im in prague and its the most awesome place ever. To the guy thinking about renting a car i would never ever do that. People drive crazy here and there are hardly any traffic lights.
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2010 16:47
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 10, 2024 01:52 |
|
|
Grenyarnia posted:Quick question about eurail reservations. I am taking the train from Brussels to Berlin with a switch in Cologne. Do I need to pay for two separate reservations? Also, do reservations give you an assigned seat? If so, is there any way to ensure that the person I am traveling with sits next to me? No. Not necessarily; you usually have to pay extra (~€5) to reserve a seat. Otherwise you can sit in any open seat. If you buy them at the same time, you'll be seated together unless the train is already full. If you buy them separately online, I don't know any way to make sure you're seated together, but if you call / do it in person / have one person buy both tickets online, that will be fine. Limastock posted:Im in prague and its the most awesome place ever. To the guy thinking about renting a car i would never ever do that. People drive crazy here and there are hardly any traffic lights. Having driven through downtown Prague several times and spent a fair amount of time driving around Czech, I never really felt it was any different from the rest of Europe. Czech Republic's accident rate is not the highest in Europe either, nor is it even close. Greece has the worst drivers in Europe, statistically by fatal road accidents. Germany is pretty bad too. http://www.unece.org/trans/main/wp6/pdfdocs/RAS_2007.pdf Czechs owned cars before 1991.... Skoda is Czech, and they make / always have been a pretty significant manufacturer. VVV VVV VVV [E: I didn't notice re: pedestrian safety in Prague, but you're probably right. Where I'm from, pedestrians don't have right of way, so I don't really notice when it's that way or not in a country. It actually kind of bothers me when I'm in a country (e.g. Switzerland) where a car stops for me at a crosswalk if there's not a red light.] Saladman fucked around with this message at 12:50 on Dec 28, 2010 |
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2010 19:51
|
|
|
Saladman posted:Having driven through downtown Prague several times and spent a fair amount of time driving around Czech, I never really felt it was any different from the rest of Europe. Czech Republic's accident rate is not the highest in Europe either, nor is it even close. Greece has the worst drivers in Europe, statistically by fatal road accidents. Germany is pretty bad too. http://www.unece.org/trans/main/wp6/pdfdocs/RAS_2007.pdf Czechs owned cars before 1991.... Skoda is Czech, and they make / always have been a pretty significant manufacturer. Driving in Prague didn't feel that special to me either. It's just like driving in Italy: sometimes people just create extra lanes where there's room to do so. Greece I agree is much worse. It resembles the Middle East in driving styles. I'm glad I've never had to drive myself in Greece. I had a driver tell me that it's unsafe to go out onto the road in Greece without some alcohol in your body, so you're not scared to death the whole time. That said, I would feel a bit apprehensive about going to Prague in a rental car. The car I had with me when I visited the Czech Republic wasn't exactly a beater, but it wasn't new either and it was my own, so I didn't run the risk of getting screwed thrice, by the police, the insurance company and the rental company. In a shiny (more or less) new rental car, I doubt I would have dared to go there.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2010 20:08
|
|
|
I've been thinking about Europe for a bit and have read this thread through and the savvy backpacker link that was in here as well. I have a rough itinerary of what I'm thinking. However I was wondering primarly about travel and how I should split up the trip. I'm going to fly into LHR on April 6th then want to leave from some where else on the 22nd and am looking to do the following: London: 6-11th Amsterdam: 11th-14th (via easyjet from Gatwick to Amsterdam) From here I have a decision to make: I really would like to visit Berlin then either to Prague or Barcelona. However because of the distance between Berlin and Barcelona would it be wiser to stay in the middle of Europe and take a more expensive flight out (the flight from Barcelona looks to be at least 1-2 hundred cheaper than flying from Prague or Copenhagen) I don't mind rail nor a quick flight if that does make it cheaper to make it from Berlin or Prague to Barcelona. What do you guys suggest?
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2010 22:57
|
|
|
Saladman posted:Czech Republic's accident rate is not the highest in Europe either, nor is it even close. Greece has the worst drivers in Europe, statistically by fatal road accidents. Germany is pretty bad too. http://www.unece.org/trans/main/wp6/pdfdocs/RAS_2007.pdf Czechs owned cars before 1991.... Skoda is Czech, and they make / always have been a pretty significant manufacturer. Guess that is proof you shouldn't believe the walking tour guides. Which I should have known already. And he was actually Czech!
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2010 02:06
|
|
|
Grenyarnia posted:Quick question about eurail reservations. I am taking the train from Brussels to Berlin with a switch in Cologne. Do I need to pay for two separate reservations? Also, do reservations give you an assigned seat? If so, is there any way to ensure that the person I am traveling with sits next to me? Ive been here for like 10 days now and ive ridden from zurich to munich to prague, to berlin to amsterdam and i only lost my seat 1 or 2 times. Just had to go a few seats down and grab a new one. You dont need reservations. Saladman posted:Having driven through downtown Prague several times and spent a fair amount of time driving around Czech, I never really felt it was any different from the rest of Europe. Czech Republic's accident rate is not the highest in Europe either, nor is it even close. Greece has the worst drivers in Europe, statistically by fatal road accidents. Germany is pretty bad too. http://www.unece.org/trans/main/wp6/pdfdocs/RAS_2007.pdf Czechs owned cars before 1991.... Skoda is Czech, and they make / always have been a pretty significant manufacturer. Never been to greece however it seems in germany and everywhere else ive been in europe the pedestrian always has the right of way but it was completely opposite in prague where the cars would literally bump you out of the way with their vehicles. a creepy colon fucked around with this message at 11:39 on Dec 28, 2010 |
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2010 11:36
|
|
|
Saladman posted:If you buy them at the same time, you'll be seated together unless the train is already full. What can happen also is that the window seats fill up completely, so even though there are plenty of seats, there aren't two together.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2010 15:23
|
|
|
Got a different sort of travel question, I figure this is the right place for it. For several reasons, I need a break away and a complete change of scenario for a short time, roughly 15th-23rd January. I want to spend that time visiting some places in Europe, specifically Amsterdam, Paris and maybe somewhere in the south of France. I live in the UK so I'm completely sorted for being able to travel and insurance, and I am a competent French speaker and will be able to get around and speak to people there. The problem I have is that I have no idea how you meet you people when you visit foreign places like this. I hear a lot about how when people have gone travelling, they've been able to meet up and make friends with people, but how is the best way to do this. Ideally I want to set off on my own and use this as an opportunity to make new friends with different interests and backgrounds, to either spend a few days with or longer. I'm looking for the best way to meet like-minded people from anywhere in the world. I've been told to try and get hostels with shared rooms to force yourself into situations like that, or to book travel with a business so there are several of you in the same situation; and you get to know eachother that way. Can anyone back this up or give other advice? On a lesser note, because I'm planning all this for just 2-3 weeks away, does anyone have any tips for short-notice travelling? I would ideally like to take night-train/night-buses to destinations to cram as much into the time I have, but I couldn't find much info about this for Western Europe. I've done it before in Norway so want to do it this time too if possible. In general, would it be better/cheaper/more expensive to book things in advance now or will I be OK with just a few days in advance, as I have no real schedule yet. I think the only solid plan have is that it's my 25th birthday on the 19th and I'd like to be in Paris for it. Any ideas or tips please?
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2010 15:50
|
|
|
Fat Turkey posted:In general, would it be better/cheaper/more expensive to book things in advance now or will I be OK with just a few days in advance, as I have no real schedule yet. It definitely can be, although you lose the flexibility of the full price ticket which has no particular date associated with it, just a separate seat reservation if needed at all. For instance, a hi-speed ticket from Vienna to Munich is usually EUR 84.30. But even 3 days in advance you can get a ticket for EUR 49.99, and a week out is EUR 29.99. Those are only good for a particular train though. But that is a LOT cheaper obviously.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2010 16:57
|
|
|
Fat Turkey posted:The problem I have is that I have no idea how you meet you people when you visit foreign places like this. I hear a lot about how when people have gone travelling, they've been able to meet up and make friends with people, but how is the best way to do this. Ideally I want to set off on my own and use this as an opportunity to make new friends with different interests and backgrounds, to either spend a few days with or longer. I'm looking for the best way to meet like-minded people from anywhere in the world. I'm not really an expert on this, but I think it's a little difficult if you're just going to be in each place for 2-3 days. I think the best place to meet people would be in a hostel with a common kitchen or bar, as most people are social in those areas whereas they mostly just go to the dorms to sleep. As far as tour groups, I don't know how much luck you'll have unless you find one that caters specifically to under 30 singles and that already sounds pricey.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2010 20:57
|
|
|
Fat Turkey posted:Got a different sort of travel question, I figure this is the right place for it. Book a hostel for one or two nights and go out to some bars and start talking to people. Find out where they're staying if they're cool and go stay there.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2010 21:01
|
|
|
greazeball posted:I'm not really an expert on this, but I think it's a little difficult if you're just going to be in each place for 2-3 days. I think the best place to meet people would be in a hostel with a common kitchen or bar, as most people are social in those areas whereas they mostly just go to the dorms to sleep. As far as tour groups, I don't know how much luck you'll have unless you find one that caters specifically to under 30 singles and that already sounds pricey. Hmmm. Well, I'm not particulatly set on anything in particular, I am pretty flexible in what I do, so I can spend the whole time in one place, either Paris or Amsterdam probably (I've spent a short time in both and really enjoyed it). Maybe a better idea is to book the first few nights in a hostel somewhere and just see how it goes as I proceed, aiming to stay in the same place. To the guy who just posted, you just reminded me I did that before and it went well, but I had someone with me who I knew there to help introduce me to new people. That went really well, but obviously this time I know noone. But probably the best idea. If nothing bites after a few days I can go elsewhere, if it does then it should be fun. Fat Turkey fucked around with this message at 21:44 on Dec 28, 2010 |
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2010 21:42
|
|
|
Look out for the guy who does keepy-uppy while he climbs up the lamp poles in Leidseplein 
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2010 22:03
|
|
|
greazeball posted:Look out for the guy who does keepy-uppy while he climbs up the lamp poles in Leidseplein I never would have gotten this a week ago but im just finishing a 2nd night up in amsterdam and i totally get it haha
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2010 03:50
|
|
|
I just started planning for my trip next summer. Right now, we're allotting ~2 weeks and trying to narrow down where to go. Our interests are: Bruges (already did Brussels) Amsterdam/Haarlem Germany: Black Forest, Bavaria, Berlin Salzburg (Let me be clear: we're in no way attempting to do all of this in two weeks) Right now, we're thinking of flying into Amsterdam, working our way east (plane/trains and possibly driving), and flying out of Berlin. I've come up with this (possibly stupid) idea because flying into Frankfurt looks drat expensive while Amsterdam and Berlin are much cheaper. We're mostly interested in museums, castles, old cities, hiking, and possibly some WWII history. We don't care about clubbing/drinking. What would a reasonable itinerary look like for our timeframe? What should we focus on? scr0llwheel fucked around with this message at 06:43 on Dec 29, 2010 |
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2010 06:09
|
|
|
scr0llwheel posted:I just started planning for my trip next summer. Right now, we're allotting ~2 weeks and trying to narrow down where to go. Our interests are: yeah you can do bruges in like a day or two, maybe more if you want to drive around a bit, salzburg is like 2 or 3, but 3 would be a bit boring unless you wanted to go to little towns around there (there's not much though), you can get there easily from munich by train or bus or car, you could drive down in the morning from munich, look around, stay a night, look around the next day and drive back to munich in the late afternoon. Bavaria depends what you want to see, the little towns are cute and charming, munich is really great, I guess nürnberg is ok as well, maybe ingolstadt or something. Like 3 days-ish for munich, leave 4 for berlin, there's a hell of a lot there, as well as out in wannsee and potsdam.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2010 06:38
|
|
|
I did a bit of canyoning and whitewater rafting near Salzburg. If that sort of thing is your cup of tea, I highly recommend trying it there. http://www.rafting.at
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2010 07:46
|
|
|
scr0llwheel posted:I just started planning for my trip next summer. Right now, we're allotting ~2 weeks and trying to narrow down where to go. Our interests are:
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2010 08:56
|
|
|
Anyone know particularly cool things to do in Paris on New Year's Eve? I don't have any reservations for a club or bars or anything, and I imagine tickets are impossible to get now. Is there like a cool fireworks show over the Seine or should I just wander around Latin Quarter?
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2010 14:07
|
|
|
Lots of fireworks around the Eiffel Tower, many people walk along Champs-Elysees and celebrate around the Eiffel Tower (or from a bit further away with a view to the Eiffel Tower). Expect something like this https://wi.somethingawful.com/87/87ff126f5ce7e7db6a96df852403fbbafb6da261.jpg I'm sure there are many more things but you mentioned fireworks and new year's is in a couple of hours so i hope i could help have a happy new year!
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2010 20:10
|
|
|
tourgon posted:Lots of fireworks around the Eiffel Tower, many people walk along Champs-Elysees and celebrate around the Eiffel Tower (or from a bit further away with a view to the Eiffel Tower). Expect something like this https://wi.somethingawful.com/87/87ff126f5ce7e7db6a96df852403fbbafb6da261.jpg They didn't do a fireworks show this year! (Extremely foggy.) There were just sporadic fireworks all around the city from about midnight until about 1:00. Oh well. We did the rest of the walk all along the Seine from 11th to the Eiffel Tower and back. It was nice and crowded everywhere even when we got back at 4am.
|
|
#
?
Jan 1, 2011 12:04
|
|
|
A friend of mine and I are thinking of going to Sicily for two weeks, possibly doing other things in Italy as well. Does anyone know any good resources (Sicily-specific tour books)?
|
|
#
?
Jan 2, 2011 21:15
|
|
|
Got back a day or so ago. Had a ton of fun and thanks to everyone who gave me advice. 2 weeks was definitely not enough time but i feel like I did the right thing in "tasting" many cities over a short period. I learned that 1 day is plenty enough for Munich but I need at least a week in Prague and Berlin. I will say overall i liked the German people the best and the French the least, although everyone was pretty much nicer and more accommodating than a random american. Going to hit the UK/Spain in the summer!
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2011 15:52
|
|
|
scr0llwheel posted:I just started planning for my trip next summer. Right now, we're allotting ~2 weeks and trying to narrow down where to go. Our interests are: When you go to Berlin you want to check the Museumsinsel (a complex of 5 different historic museums) Personally my favorite of the five is the Pergamonmuseum which focusses on middle eastern culture. But they are all great in their own right. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_Island To get a glimpse of german history you want to hit the Deutsches Historisches Museum. They show the progression from early germanic tribes to modern day germany. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsches_Historisches_Museum The Jüdisches Museum gives some insights into WW2 germany, naturally it focusses on jewish culture and the holocaust. The exibition itself is not that impressive but the architecture of the place is nothing but brilliant, the sheer intensity of the ambient lighting and the layout itself bring across a powerful message. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Museum_Berlin On that note you might want to consider visiting the Reichstag, it´s something special to see where hitlers rise to power "started" and see the counterpoint as they left some of the bullet holes and russian graffiti untouched. Also you get a pretty nice view over the center of the city and it´s in walking distance of the Brandenburger Tor. You could also be interested in Berliner Unterwelten, it´s a guided tour through the berlin underground. Some of the tours focus on the bomb shelters that were used during WW2, some focus on the subway system and some on the seperation of berlin. http://berliner-unterwelten.de/tour-b.99.1.html I´d avoid the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe if I were you, while it´s impressive it´s also a failure. After it was finished some handicapped people in wheelchairs sued them because it was too narrow for them (which is the whole idea) and after that was over the whole thing was in danger of breaking down because they used lovely concrete. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_to_the_Murdered_Jews_of_Europe If you are interested in art you have two main options: the Alte Nationalgalerie, which focusses on classic art styles http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alte_Nationalgalerie and the Neue Nationalgalerie, which focusses on modern art. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neue_Nationalgalerie My personal favorite is the Humboldt Museum für Naturkunde though, they have great exhibits that cover everything from insects to dinosaurs, they even have the most complete archaeopteryx fossil there is. http://www.naturkundemuseum-berlin.de/index_english.html Btw. Since you are interested in castles you´ll be pleased to hear that we are planning to build one in the middle of the city, I doubt it will actually happen but one can dream. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadtschloss,_Berlin#Plans_for_reconstruction hankor fucked around with this message at 11:05 on Jan 7, 2011 |
|
#
?
Jan 7, 2011 10:57
|
|
|
Anybody know anything about the Eurail Global Pass? They have an option called the "Saver Pass" and they say it is shared by 2-5 people traveling together at all times good for 15 travel days. Does this mean I only have to buy one Saver Pass for $621 if I'm traveling around Europe with my brother as we will be together 24/7... or do I have to buy two of these saver passes for $1242? Thanks!
|
|
#
?
Jan 8, 2011 20:54
|
|
|
Limastock posted:Got back a day or so ago. Had a ton of fun and thanks to everyone who gave me advice. 2 weeks was definitely not enough time but i feel like I did the right thing in "tasting" many cities over a short period. I learned that 1 day is plenty enough for Munich but I need at least a week in Prague and Berlin. I will say overall i liked the German people the best and the French the least, although everyone was pretty much nicer and more accommodating than a random american. hmm.. interesting points about berlin/munich. whilst i agree that you could spend at least a week easily in berlin, i assumed this would be similar for munich? was it boring? nothing to do? we've penciled in 3 days for munich in june, on the assumption that it would be as cool as berlin.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2011 00:03
|
|
|
Munich is a beautiful city, dont get me wrong. However it is definitely more suited for touristy type activities. Marienplatz seemed to be the main thing to see and it is gorgeous but thats all that really interested my wife and I. We also enjoyed the traditional beerhalls but again, its very touristy type stuff. Berlin is a much more gritty city with incredible history (munich has great history as well but berlin is the place for ww2 buffs) and an awesome atmosphere. It felt like anything could happen there and the hostel we stayed at was incredible (The Circus at rosenthaler platz). Berlin also has a dope nightlife and is more of a city persons city. Im from philadelphia and if im not in an urban environment i feel uneasy so Berlin was awesome for me. It is also cheaper than Munich as well and the people seemed more open minded. I think 3 days in june in Munich will be fine but there is just SO much to do in Berlin I feel you really need a week there.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2011 02:00
|
|
|
ah, ok. although we will check out some of the tourist stuff, we're more interested in good eats/drinks and the night life. we'll probably stick with the 3 days. > anybody been to bratislava? we may spend some time there (maybe just a day or even just a few hours off the train), thoughts and opinions?
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2011 15:06
|
|
|
Comlink posted:ah, ok. although we will check out some of the tourist stuff, we're more interested in good eats/drinks and the night life. we'll probably stick with the 3 days. One of the most boring cities in Europe. Even my Slovak colleague agrees with me. Of course there's no need for it to be something special when Vienna is right around the corner.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2011 15:19
|
|
|
nearly everything i've read suggests the same. oh well. is it not even worth a couple of hours stop over?
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2011 17:24
|
|
|
hankor posted:I´d avoid the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe if I were you, while it´s impressive it´s also a failure. After it was finished some handicapped people in wheelchairs sued them because it was too narrow for them (which is the whole idea) and after that was over the whole thing was in danger of breaking down because they used lovely concrete. I don't know if it's necessarily worth avoiding. It's good to have some background on the controvery surrounding it, but at the very least it's extremely simple to visit and free. It's worth visiting if only to form your own opinions on the controversy. Other things worth checking out in Berlin:
As another "since you are interested in castles" tip - if you're into Baroque palaces, you really can't do much better than Potsdam, which is a really easy daytrip from Berlin (you can get there from the S-Bahn for a few euros). Rent a bike, get a picnic lunch and ride around the amazing park and see some of the palaces. Technically I think you're not supposed to cycle through a good deal of the park but virtually everyone was last time I went.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2011 21:54
|
|
|
Comlink posted:nearly everything i've read suggests the same. oh well. It probably doesn't help that it's close enough to Vienna to make staying there pale in comparison unless you're absolutely 100% sick of Vienna (and I don't even particularly like Vienna). If you had to do a quick day trip in that area, I'd head out to Melk instead, check out the amazing monastery, and chill out in a Heuringer (which are absolutely 100% not worth it in Vienna proper but absolutely amazing near Melk and anywhere along the Donau)
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2011 21:59
|
|
|
You can also take the hydrofoil down the Danube from Vienna to Bratislava (or all the way to Budapest!) We just got off the boat and went to the train station, didn't even check out the castle in town. We went out into the country near Poprad and visited Spissky Hrad, which was pretty bitchin (but rather far from Bratislava). 
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2011 22:04
|
|
|
enki42 posted:Other things worth checking out in Berlin: Good points, but I had to fix a thing. hankor fucked around with this message at 22:10 on Jan 10, 2011 |
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2011 22:08
|
|
|
I say this all the time but once more, if you are a student or have a plastic student ID that clearly says "student" on it somewhere, bring it with you and always ask about a student discount. I guarantee every single museum has some kind of discount for students and none of which I've gone to cared that I didn't have an ISIC, and a lot of hostels I've been to gave me discounts for showing them my student ID as well (even if they don't advertise a discount).
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2011 23:55
|
|
|
Ziir posted:I say this all the time but once more, if you are a student or have a plastic student ID that clearly says "student" on it somewhere, bring it with you and always ask about a student discount. I guarantee every single museum has some kind of discount for students and none of which I've gone to cared that I didn't have an ISIC, and a lot of hostels I've been to gave me discounts for showing them my student ID as well (even if they don't advertise a discount). Except France. those jerks only take EU student IDs.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2011 04:06
|
|
|
mrchina posted:Anybody know anything about the Eurail Global Pass? They have an option called the "Saver Pass" and they say it is shared by 2-5 people traveling together at all times good for 15 travel days. One pass is good for all the people in your group.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2011 04:07
|
|
|
Ziir posted:I say this all the time but once more, if you are a student or have a plastic student ID that clearly says "student" on it somewhere, bring it with you and always ask about a student discount. I guarantee every single museum has some kind of discount for students and none of which I've gone to cared that I didn't have an ISIC, and a lot of hostels I've been to gave me discounts for showing them my student ID as well (even if they don't advertise a discount). I'm no longer a student and no longer have my ID, but I always thought it would be funny to create my own student ID from some fictional yet real sounding college to use in situations like that. Or, maybe not even a fictional school but just a small school.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2011 15:54
|
|
|
Butthole Prince posted:I'm no longer a student and no longer have my ID, but I always thought it would be funny to create my own student ID from some fictional yet real sounding college to use in situations like that. Or, maybe not even a fictional school but just a small school. If it has a name that could even vaguely look like a school name in some foreign language, you're good to go in most cases. Validity is also not an issue. Most of the time, they'll just check that it says something that might conceivably sound like 'University' or 'college'.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2011 16:00
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 10, 2024 01:52 |
|
|
All this Berlin stuff is super useful thank you! I'm going over in March. What are some good areas in Berlin to just kind of wander around in during the daytime?
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2011 16:11
|
|
